Penguins To Sign Trevor van Riemsdyk

According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the Pittsburgh Penguins are signing defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk. This will mark Pittsburgh’s first move of free agency, bringing in an impactful depth defenseman one day after swapping Parker Wotherspoon for Kaedan Korczak in a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights. Pittsburgh also traded defenseman Jack St. Ivany to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for forward David Gustafsson.

Van Riemsdyk will take on the holes created on Pittsburgh’s shifting blue line. The soon-to-be 35 year old filled a bottom-pair role with the Washington Capitals through the last six seasons. He orbited 15 points each season, though did reach a career-high 23 points during the 2022-23 season. A greater impact came from Van Riemsdyk’s shot blocking – a stat he led the Capitals in half of his seasons with the club. He totaled 667 shot blocks in 387 games with Washington – or an average of 141 blocks per season.

Van Riemsdyk has long filled a utility role down the lineup of playoff clubs. He won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in his first season in the NHL – after playing through just 18 regular season games and four playoff games. He has only missed three Stanley Cup playoffs since that run, thanks to well-timed organization changes between the Chicago Blackhawks, Carolina Hurricanes, and Capitals. Pittsburgh will hope Van Riemsdyk can bring his playoff luck from their rival to the Black And Gold. The Penguins snapped a three-year playoff drought this season, though they were knocked out in the first-round.